DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. _ Admittedly, this is not my story to tell.
It all began in 1998, when Dale Earnhardt won the Daytona 500 for the only time in his legendary career. The day before that race, a girl named Wessa Miller gave Earnhardt a lucky penny. He glued it to his dash on the spot, and the next day, that penny was in the car as Earnhardt crossed the finish line.
Three years later, the seven-time Cup series champion was dead, killed in a crash at the same track.
But Wessa, who was never supposed to live past childhood, survived. And now, she's about to turn 27.
She's also the last living link to that moment from 20 years ago.
On the anniversary of Earnhardt's historic win, I caught up with Wessa and her parents. They still live in tiny Phyllis, Ky., an old coal-mining town. Wessa is still the world's greatest Earnhardt fan.
In the two decades that have passed, though, much has changed.
But this hasn't. The impact of that original moment _ that meeting all those years ago _ remains.
